  What you need to know Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022  WEATHER
Skies are expected to clear today but it will remain cold, with highs staying in the low 20s. Winds won't be bad during the day but will pick up overnight and gusts will reach 30 mph. Lows will be around 20 degrees. Read more.
Local scores: Cavs 109, Sacramento Kings 108 OVERNIGHT
New factory: Ohio is in serious negotiations to land a major computer-chip factory, which sources and local government officials have said is planned for the Columbus region. The factory is a planned response to the ongoing shortage of semiconductors in the aftermath of supply-chain disruptions caused in part by the coronavirus pandemic and details are being intentionally kept quiet. But Andrew Tobias reports that officials in New Albany, an affluent Columbus suburb with a growing number of high-tech businesses, last week approved a preliminary agreement that officials there said could pave the way for 3,600 acres to eventually be developed over the next decade and annexed into the city.
TODAY IN OHIO The Coalition for Fair Property Tax Valuations, a group of developers and heavy hitters like the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, are steps away from stripping school boards of appealing property values. We’re talking about the special interests behind the state legislation, which would jack up property taxes for homeowners, on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast.
STATEHOUSE & POLITICS Jan. 6 lawsuits: Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and his allies on Monday asked a federal judge to dismiss lawsuits filed by plaintiffs, including U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, seeking damages from last year’s Capitol Hill riot that temporarily kept Congress from recording 2020 electoral votes that awarded the presidency to Democrat Joe Biden, Sabrina Eaton reports.
Call center costs: Ohio’s unemployment system says it has spent nearly $105 million to outside contractors for workers to help field a tsunami of phone calls from an unprecedented number of Ohioans who filed claims during the coronavirus crisis, Jeremy Pelzer reports. Of the nearly $105 million paid to the firms, about $101.3 million was paid by using federal coronavirus relief money. METRO Brownfields: Roughly two dozen interested parties have contacted the Cuyahoga County Department of Development about the state’s $350 million Brownfield Remediation Program, and several have requested formal assistance in seeking a grant, Peter Krouse reports. The brownfield program has the potential to kickstart a number of projects across the county that are in need of environmental remediation, whether it’s neutralizing PCBs in soil, removing asbestos and lead paint from buildings, or some other level of contamination.
Recycling delay: During the waning months of Frank Jackson’s last term as Cleveland mayor, he tried to revive the city’s moribund recycling program. But just before the new year - and the start of Justin Bibb’s term as mayor - the city sent an email message to residents that said not to expect a recycling program to be in place until sometime in the first quarter of this year, Peter Krouse reports.
Jesse Owens: Plans are underway for a Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Plaza at Rockefeller Park in University Circle. Construction on the tribute to Cleveland’s Olympic icon is expected to begin and conclude sometime in 2022, and planners are now soliciting input from the public about the design, reports Courtney Astolfi.
COVID-19 Daily cases: The state of Ohio on Monday reported 18,042 new cases of COVID-19, making it only the second time since Dec. 29 when the one-day case rate has dipped below 19,000 cases, reports Julie Washington.
COVID pills: Four area healthcare systems are among the Cuyahoga County sites that will receive supplies of two new oral pills that treat COVID-19 at home. Julie Washington reports low supplies of the Merck or Pfizer COVID-19 drugs nationally, and a federal rollout that is allocating the drugs based on state populations, means it may be awhile before the therapeutics reach local pharmacies.
Medical help: The first out-of-state medical staff have arrived in Ohio to assist hospitals during the latest COVID-19 surge, part of a state contract with a staffing agency to bring in workers, Laura Hancock reports. Four registered nurses arrived at ProMedica Toledo Hospital last week. An additional seven RNs and 14 respiratory therapists arrived Monday, said Tausha Moore, the hospital’s public relations director.
BUSINESS Ski resorts: Vail Resorts is opening its Brandywine and Alpine Valley ski resorts on Friday, and reducing days at Boston Mills, reports Sean McDonnell. Boston Mills will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays starting next week.
Scams: The Better Business Bureau’s Cleveland office keeps track of the most prevalent scams. Sean McDonnell has the top 10 in 2021, based on reports from 1,000 residents.
Starbucks unionization: Workers at the Starbucks on West Sixth street in downtown Cleveland are the latest in the company to try and form a union, Sean McDonnell reports. Hourly workers at the 6th Street Cafe, located near Tower City, petitioned the National Labor Relations Board Monday morning for a union representation election.
CRIME Murder-suicide: The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner has identified a 9-month-old girl and a man dead in an apparent murder-suicide Saturday in Brook Park. Alice Porter of Brook Park died in the shooting at the home in the 5300 block of West 150th Street, reports Olivia Mitchell. Investigators say Martin Porter fatally shot his daughter, then wounded the girl’s 27-year-old mother, before he fatally shot himself.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Cleveland Orchestra: The coronavirus has quashed the Cleveland Orchestra’s plans in South Florida. Citing the pandemic and the risks associated with travel and gathering, the orchestra on Monday announced the cancellation of its entire 2022 Miami residency, which had included two weeks of programs at the Arsht Center in Miami as well as concerts in West Palm Beach and Naples. Zachary Lewis reports this is the second year in a row the orchestra has canceled in South Florida due to COVID-19.
Rock Hall: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced a mix of virtual and in-person festivities on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Anne Nickoloff reports that this year, free tickets must be reserved in advance at the Rock Hall’s website and all attendees and staff will be required to wear face masks. OTHER HEADLINES U.S. marshals arrest woman wanted in Thanksgiving Day fatal shooting in Cleveland Read more
Akron man dies in shooting in apartment parking lot in Fairlawn Read more
Canton man shot twice in road rage incident Read more
Parkhurst elected president of Medina school board Read more
Bilsky elected president, Leikin vice president of Orange school board Read more
Medina City Council approves sign replacement program Read more
Medina Mayor Dennis Hanwell sworn in for unprecedented fourth term Read more
Strongsville plans $3 million makeover of town center, including splash pad, playground, pavilion, trails Read more
Bay Village voting wards shift; two gas line replacement projects coming up Read more
David Rickey appointed to Avon Lake Board of Municipal Utilities for a second time Read more
Lorain County Metroparks lights up holiday food drive; looks now to MLK Day donations Read more
North Ridgeville Schools superintendent, mayor work together to keep community informed Read more
Heights Libraries breaks ground on $1.7 million Coventry branch renovation Read more
Avon Lake mayor comments on opioid settlement Read more
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